Meet & Greet Monday... on a Sunday? Why Not?!?

Welcome to Meet & Greet Monday! I found this through Caio Bella but it's hosted by Southern Reflections. From her blog... "So...What's The Deal?? By participating in this blog hop, it is recommended that you follow the host (Southern Reflections) and create a post about Meet & Greet Monday by adding the Meet & Greet Monday button to your blog so bloggers know to link up here and where to comment on your page!! The more you spread the news, the more this blog hop will grow, and the more bloggers you will meet and greet!!
* If you sign up on this blog hop linky, please be so kind as to return the favor of those who follow/visit you!!
Have fun, enjoy meeting and greeting one another, and please be sure and come back each Sunday at 8:59 PM (EST) for a NEW Meet & Greet Monday. I (she) will post a featured blogger each week!! Thanks for participating!!"

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Please look around and I hope you enjoy what you read. Leave a comment so that I can visit you!

Facebook & Design Star

A few weeks ago, I set up a Facebook specifically for book blogging. If you're on Facebook and would like to "friend" me, please do! Because I'm a little (okay, a lot!) technically challenged, I couldn't figure out how to set it up under "Bags, Books, Bon Jovi"... if you know how I can transfer everything to a page with that title, please let me know! To find my Facebook page, please search "Kathy Bags". If you "friend" me, please leave me a note with your blog title.


Design Star starts tomorrow night. I'm so excited. It's one of my favorite shows. I have not, purposely, read about the contestants, read the blogs or message boards. I want to start watching it without any preconceptions. After the first episode, though, I'll be all over the internet reading everything I can :D Do you watch it? et me know and we can discuss it!

I wanted to carry a cute summer purse today but it was cloudy and rainy all day... the high was only 57°... so I carried one of my trusty black bags. I guess because I carried it, I noticed several women who had bags with chain handles. I know it's very "Chanel-esque" but it definitely gives a bag an edge.

First Line Friday, A Reunion & Girls With Great Taste

I began First Line Friday because first lines have always intrigued me since I heard an author say that writing the first sentence is, by far, the most difficult part of writing a novel. The reasoning was that a first sentence can make the reader continue reading or cause the book to be tossed aside. So, go to your To Be Read Pile, choose as many books as you want and share the first line. Be sure to include the title and author so that if your reader also finds it intriguing, they can find the book. Also, share your thoughts about the first line. Does it draw you in? Is it...exciting...thought provoking...scary...funny? Join in, if you enjoy first lines as much as I do! Be sure to use my great First Line Friday graphic and leave me a comment so I can read your blog! I'm not the only one with a meme celebrating first lines... Becky at Page Turners at http://pageturnersbooks.blogspot.com/ hosts Book Beginnings... check her blog, too.

"13 November 1918
Tension threatened to ruin what should have been a joyful reunion for two of the people in the ornate Yorkshire parlour; a mood dictated by the third, an attractive young woman."
A Complicated Woman
Sheelagh Kelly

What a prefect first line, don't you agree? It has everything... a great setting, a bit of a mystery (why is there tension?), and an interloper. How could I not be intrigued by this?!?

This is one of the library book sale books. I bought it for three reasons... the gorgeous cover (although mine is a cropped version... but still great), a line on the back ("Set in York and Australia between the World Wars...) and that it's 580 pages (I love "chunksters!). This novel is the perfect "by the pool" read.I love reading by the pool because it's pure reading time. There's nothing else to do but sit and read... and, occasionally, dip my feet in the water. As much as I love to read at home, there's always that little voice that says there's a load of laundry that could be done, the dishwasher needs to be emptied... blah, blah, blah. At the pool, though, none of that can happen! I can only read! I love summer!

We picked up M at her Outdoor Education camp today. She was exhausted, a little sunburned but surrounded by new friends. She had an amazing time! She fell asleep in the car and slept soundly until 7pm.


I carried my Kathy Van Zeeland leopard purse tonight to work. Two of the women complimented my bag. A has one almost exactly like it... when she saw mine in the locked cabinet, she thought, for a second, it was hers :D N loves KVZ bags and said she was a little jealous that she doesn't have a leopard KVZ.

Thanks to everyone who has found my blog through Jennifer's Book Blog Hop. Welcome to you all! I'm so happy that you like what I'm writing. Like most of you, I'm sure, I write for myself, first. I like having this place to put my thoughts down... especially about three of my favorite things... Bags, Books & Bon Jovi! But, it's fun to know that there are people who also like what I write and how I present it. And for me... it's so cool to find other book bloggers who share my taste in books. Even reading blogs that favor genres that I don't read can be interesting because of who is writing it. So, thank you reading my blog. As always, please leave a comment so I can read your blog!

The Early Book Blogger Gets The Hop!

It's Thursday and Jennifer at http://www.crazy-for-books.com/ has posted her weekly Book Blogger Hop a little bit early!

ABOUT THE HOP: This is a weekly event, hosted by Jennifer at http://www.crazy-for-books.com/, where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read. It's a great way to network with other bloggers and make new friends! Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

OPTIONAL TWIST: On your blog hop post, tell us about some of the other great blogs you've found while Hopping around! DISCLAIMER:The Hop isn't just for you to throw your link in there and not visit any other blogs. It's all about networking and finding new blogs that are of interest. So, in the spirit of the Hop, try to make some time to visit other blogs and don't post your link if you are not planning on visiting other blogs in the Hop that week. This is a weekly event, so if you don't have time this week, that's fine! We'll see you next week!If you sign MckLinky, please share the love and POST ABOUT THE HOP ON YOUR BLOG! How else will anyone else find out about it and come join the party?Please check out her blog for a list of great book bloggers! Leave a comment so they know you've visited because of Jennifer's Book Blog Hop!

And if you've found my blog, through The Book Blogger Hop... Thanks, I'm happy you found me! I love new visitors! Please leave a comment for me... I'd love to visit your blog, too. Please check back here later today (well, really tomorrow!) as I will be posting my weekly meme, "First Line Friday" and blogging about other things, too!

Booking Through Thursday & A Sick Day

Do signed copies excite you? Tempt you? Delight you? Or does it not matter to you?

I LOVE signed copies! Because it means that I've met the author. There's nothing better, to me, than having met the author of a book/series I love or a new author whom I have recently discovered. It's like going to a concert. If I love a group's music, why wouldn't I want to see them live? Same thing with an author... hearing an author read words that they have written is music to my ears :D The signed book is like the ticket stub... a memory of a great meeting!

If you read my blog, you have read about some of the authors I've seen... most recently Robin Oliveira. I've also met Elizabeth George, Jacqueline Winspear, Craig Johnson, Ed McBain, Patricia Cornwell, Sue Grafton, Bill Pronzini, Diana Gabaldon, Robert Spiller and Pamela Clare... just to name a few. I've actually left out some authors who I've met and didn't like :D


I have a beautiful barrister bookcase in my living room that is specifically for my signed books as well as some special first editions... including a first edition copy of Gone With The Wind that was my grandmother's.


I didn't carry a purse today as I've been sick all day. I haven't been out of my pajamas all day. I started to feel better about two hours ago and I'm hoping I feel 100% by tomorrow. We have to pick up M at her Outdoor Education camp and I really want to go. Each group does a presentation about what they learned this week for their parents. There's also a picnic lunch and a tour of the camp. She's very excited to have us come up and I don't want to disappoint her. So, I'll go to bed early and, hopefully, sleep it away.

No More Braces

J had his braces taken off today. He started wearing them in January 2008. He now has perfectly straight teeth! He looks so handsome. I'm happy that he's starting high school without braces. Those cute little Freshman girls won't know what hit them when he smiles at them :D

He was fitted for a retainer during the morning appointment when the braces were removed. Later that day, we returned for that fitting. I just assumed it would be wire retainers (you know, like I wore back in the Stone Age :D), but it is actually a clear plastic mouth guard for both his top and bottom teeth. He has to wear it 14-16 hours a day. The ortho basically told him to wear it all the time except at school. I love that! Now, I don't have to worry that he'll throw it away at lunch... like some of his friends have.

So, here we are with no monthly ortho appointment or payment. At least for a while... until M has to get her braces!

Speaking of M, she is at her Outdoor Education camp. She left on Monday and is having a blast! How do I know this? Let's just say I love technology. One of the teachers set up a website to post pictures, post kids' blogging about what they're doing as well as their(the teachers) observations about the kids. I love being able to see what she's doing at 7700 feet. Otherwise, I'd have to rely on the pictures she's taking... which, knowing my almost-12-year-old daughter, will all be of her cabin mates during "bunkhouse" time.


I carried my fuschia hobo purse today. This is one of the three that I bought that are the same style. I actually bought a fourth bag (it was ridiculously marked down) in yellow but ended up giving it to a friend. I didn't think I'd use a yellow bag. Now, it seems that yellow is the "it" color for summer handbags. I see yellow bags everywhere!

Teaser Tuesday

I LOVE Teaser Tuesday.
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
"Birger Vanger was waiting for him when he came out. He stopped him by laying a hand on his shoulder."
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Stieg Larsson
page 348

I think I am the last person to read this book. Well, me and the other girls in my book club. Our book club meets next Thursday and I just started it tonight. I'm excited to read it. Although, I do it with a little trepidation. It, sometimes, seems that when I read the "it" book, the book that every one else is reading or has read, I don't like it. I'm not sure if it's been "spoiled" for me by so many people (both those I know and reviews, etc) telling me how wonderful it is or if it's the book "rebel" in me that doesn't want to like something so mainstream. Maybe it's just "women's fiction" that does it to me but I can think of a few titles/authors that I just don't "get". Jodi Picoult, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Eat, Pray. Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and pretty much anything recommended by Oprah are just a few examples. Yes, there are some exceptions but I think I like the reading niche I've carved for myself. It gives me great joy when I recommend a new author and my friend(or even someone who reads my blog) ends up really enjoying their books.


I realized that I hadn't posted a bag picture for a few days. ACK... lol! Since it's most definitely summer in the Rockies, I've made an effort to use my summer bags! I love the pops of color that they provide to my summer wardrobe. Having said that, though, I carried a beige Dooney & Bourke bag today :D It's one of my favorite styles as I also have it in denim. I would love to have it in black but, then again, I have so many black bags...

My friend, Lori, is back to blogging, after having taken a break. I'm always excited to read her blog. She's funny, loves to read, has great kids and is a little sracastic... which I love! If you haven't read her blog, plese check her out... http://lori-thequeensnewthrone.blogspot.com/ I think you'll enjoy her take on life!

Speaking of Lori's blog, another Lori... Lori at http://www.lorisreadingcorner.com/ has brought it to our attention that June 15th is National Give a Girlfriend a Book Day. Make a girlfriend super happy - give her a book on June 15th! What a great day!! To celebrate, head over to her blog for a great giveaway!

Meet & Greet Monday!

Welcome to Meet & Greet Monday! I found this through Caio Bella but it's hosted by Southern Reflections. From her blog... "So...What's The Deal?? By participating in this blog hop, it is recommended that you follow the host (Southern Reflections) and create a post about Meet & Greet Monday by adding the Meet & Greet Monday button to your blog so bloggers know to link up here and where to comment on your page!! The more you spread the news, the more this blog hop will grow, and the more bloggers you will meet and greet!!
* If you sign up on this blog hop linky, please be so kind as to return the favor of those who follow/visit you!!
Have fun, enjoy meeting and greeting one another, and please be sure and come back each Sunday at 8:59 PM (EST) for a NEW Meet & Greet Monday. I (she) will post a featured blogger each week!! Thanks for participating!!"

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Please look around and I hope you enjoy what you read. Leave a comment so that I can visit you!

Book Sale Bonanza... Part 2!

J, M and I braved the crowds this morning and went to the Book Sale.

It was $5 for all you could stuff in a bag.

We used three of our largest grocery bags and bought 36 books...yay!

I did find a few of the titles I looked at yesterday.

I think The DaVinci Code hardbacks regenerated themselves. There were as many as there yesterday...if not more!

I bought a few on the title, the cover or the first line alone. I paid next to nothing, so if I don't like it, I'll just donate it back to the library.

Book Sale Bonanza!

These are the books I bought at the Friends of the Library book sale. I definitely restrained myself... there were so many I could have bought. However, tomorrow they're charging $5 for all the books you can stuff in a bag! So, I'll head back and stock up on the ones I left behind... if they are still there. If not, no problem! I have plenty of books to read!

I noticed a few things...

~ There were enough hardback copies of The DaVinci Code that the cashiers could have given one to each customer and still had PLENTY leftover. I couldn't believe how many copies I saw.

~ There were a few people with lists. I assume they were looking for those books. I've never gone to a book sale specifically looking for a title. It would be like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. I look at book sales as treasure hunts. I browse until I find my treasures :o)

~ I was pleasantly surprised at how many titles I saw that I had read. "Read that, read that, read that" was a constant refrain that ran through my brain.

~ I get that people take books and decide later if they're keeping it. But, really, must you sit down in the middle of an aisle, spread all the books out, block everyone while you decide?!? Yes, I saw that TWICE!! I'm sure they were related. Is it bad that I wanted to kick them? I didn't but I wanted to :o)

I'd love to hear your thoughts of the books I bought...

~ Handbags & Gladrags by Maggie Anderson
~ Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
~ Misfortune by Wesley Stace
~ Fallen Skies by Phillipa Gregory
~ The World From Rough Stones by Malcolm MacDonald
~ The Strawberry Season by Jessica Stirling
~ A Complicated Woman by Sheelagh Kelly

These I've read but bought copies to have and lend...

~ The Raphael Affair by Iain Pears
~ The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
~ Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson
~ The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
~ Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson
~ The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

First Line Friday!

I began First Line Friday because first lines have always intrigued me since I heard an author say that writing the first sentence is, by far, the most difficult part of writing a novel. The reasoning was that a first sentence can make the reader continue reading or cause the book to be tossed aside. So, go to your To Be Read Pile, choose as many books as you want and share the first line. Be sure to include the title and author so that if your reader also finds it intriguing, they can find the book. Also, share your thoughts about the first line. Does it draw you in? Is it...exciting...thought provoking...scary...funny? Join in, if you enjoy first lines as much as I do! Be sure to use my great First Line Friday graphic and leave me a comment so I can read your blog! I'm not the only one with a meme celebrating first lines... Becky at Page Turners at http://pageturnersbooks.blogspot.com/ hosts Book Beginnings... check her blog, too.

"I had reason to leave Glasgow, this would have been about three or four years ago, and I had been on the Great Road about five hours when I seen a track to the left and a sign that said 'Castle Haivers'."
The Observations by Jane Harris


The first thing that I noticed about this first line is the grammatical error... "I seen"... which tells that the narrator is probably uneducated. There's also the implied question if the narrator will take the track to the left and make her way to Castle Haivers. That, begs the question... what will happen at Castle Haivers?

I bought this novel at Friends of the Library bookstore. I picked it up specifically because of the cover. I've said it before that cover like this.... women in period dress always intrigue me. Need more proof... look at the cover of My Name is Mary Sutter. Obviously this is a huge trend in publishing... just look at a few fiction shelves the next time you're at the bookstore.


Speaking of the library... the annual used book sale is this weekend! I'm going tomorrow, after we drop M off. She's going to a ropes course in the mountains in preparation for her Outdoor Education trip next week. I hope I get some great books! My shopping bags are already in the car!


I carried ny Dooney & Bourke Medallion satchel today. I wore my white shorts today! Yay...it's finally summer and I'm going to start carrying some of my more colorful bags as well as my white ones! I saw a woman carrying a clean white purse today. I love summer bags!

Book Blog Hop!!

Time for another Book Blogger Hop!!
ABOUT THE HOP: This is a weekly event, hosted by Jennifer at http://www.crazy-for-books.com/, where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read. It's a great way to network with other bloggers and make new friends! Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

OPTIONAL TWIST: On your blog hop post, tell us about some of the other great blogs you've found while Hopping around! DISCLAIMER:The Hop isn't just for you to throw your link in there and not visit any other blogs. It's all about networking and finding new blogs that are of interest. So, in the spirit of the Hop, try to make some time to visit other blogs and don't post your link if you are not planning on visiting other blogs in the Hop that week. This is a weekly event, so if you don't have time this week, that's fine! We'll see you next week!If you sign MckLinky, please share the love and POST ABOUT THE HOP ON YOUR BLOG! How else will anyone else find out about it and come join the party?Please check out her blog for a list of great book bloggers! Leave a comment so they know you've visited because of Jennifer's Book Blog Hop!

And if you've found my blog, through The Book Blogger Hop... Thanks, I'm happy you found me! I love new visitors! Please leave a comment for me... I'd love to visit your blog, too. Please check back here later today (well, really tomorrow!) as I will be posting my weekly meme, "First Line Friday" and blogging about other things, too!

My Name is Mary Sutter

If you are a fan of book blogs like me, I'm sure you've heard of this novel. And, like me, I'm sure you've read all the positive reviews. This is a novel I've been wanting to read and was very excited to receive my hold notice from the library the other day. Being the dutiful library patron that I am, I checked it out and put in on the top of my TBR pile!

That same day, I received an email from The Tattered Cover, a local indie bookstore. Robin Olveira, author of My Name is Mary Sutter, was doing a signing/reading tonight. So, I went! Let me say that the drive to the bookstore really cemented the fact that I'm a suburbanite, through and through. This Tattered Cover is located on the "other" side Downtown Denver... an area that I don't usually frequent. To say I saw things I don't see on a daily basis is an understatement. Wow!

Because Robin Olveira is a debut author, there weren't a lot of people in attendance. Those who were there, though, were interested, respectful and thoughtful. Ms. Olveira spoke about her background and how Mary Sutter came to her. From her website... "Five years ago I had a vision of a young woman in shabby period dress seated at a trestle table, bent over the shaft of a brass microscope fitted with a slide, a shallow candle burning under its glass stage. The candle illuminated both the object she was studying and the walls of bookshelves filled with thick volumes, specimen jars and human bones. She seemed so hungry for knowledge. Who was she, I wondered, and what was she doing by herself in that lonely place at night? What were her disappointments, and to what lengths would she go to become the woman she wanted to be? Was she loved? I became worried about her; I had to find out who she was." She also read from her novel. I think that's my favorite part of author signings. I hear the love and dedication they put in their novels. She answered a few questions, including a few details about her next novel... a Russian peasant making his way to St. Petersburg and then to America.

I told her that I discovered her book on various book blogs. I asked her what she thought as book blogs as a marketing vehicle. She said that it was a sign of the times... that there are less "mainstream" outlets that will review books, let alone debut novels. Her publicists, she said, are young women who know the value of the internet to publicize her book. I also asked her what she thought of bloggers vs. professional reviewers... that most bloggers are just readers who review books for the love of reading. She said she appreciates the positive reviews and even the honesty of the (few, in my opinion) negative ones.


As she was signing my copy, I complimented the cover. She said she was very happy with it as she had nothing to do with it :o) She thought in definitely captured Mary. I think the doctor's bag is a necessary part of the cover but it's not a plain bag just as I know Mary is not a plain character.


While I was waiting to checkout, the bookmark caught my attention as they usually do. I've said before that I hardly ever walk out of a bookstore without a bookmark. Of course, tonight was no different. I chose "Lady in Black with Spanish Scarf" by Robert Henri.


My bag today was a black bag with brass studs. I wore a pair of black patent wedge sandals that have gold studs. The bag looked great with my sandals. Every time I wear these sandals, I get at least one compliment. I love them... I just wish they came in different colors!

"Graduations"....Really?

J "graduated" from Middle School tonight. M "graduated" from 6th grade last week.

I put the word graduated in quotes because I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that there's such a thing as an 8th grade and 6th grade graduations. Aren't students supposed to continue on to high school and middle school, respectively? Is a "graduation" ceremony really necessary? I only graduated from high school and college and even those were expected. I guess, when I was in 6th and 8th grade, it was just expected that you pass to the next grade... no ceremony, no certificate and certainly no "graduation" party... yes, there were 6th grade "graduation" parties.

This is not to say that I'm not proud of J& M. I am, I really am (said in my best Sally Field voice)! Honestly, though, why all the hoopla (great word, don't you think?)... wouldn't a trip to Dairy Queen on the last day of school suffice? I know it did for me... way back when!

Teaser Tuesday & 200...Terrific!

I LOVE Teaser Tuesday.
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
"His blood had not liquefied this year so he had given his people fair warning; he had told his people of impending doom. And doom had come."
The Botticelli Secret
Marina Fiorato
(closed the book before I took note of the page... oops)

What a great Teaser! Liquefied blood and doom. I thought, especially from the cover, that this was straight-forward historical fiction. I guess not... it seems that there may be some "evil forces at work". I haven't started this novel yet but it's next!

Funny story about this book... M and I went to the library after school today. She picked up the holds and this was one of them. What's so funny? I have absolutely no memory of putting this on hold. I even checked the hold paper to make sure it was mine...it was! I must have read about somewhere on the 'net and placed it on hold. It is getting positive reviews so I'm sure I'll enjoy it. I just wish I remembered putting it on hold :o)


This post is my 200th blog post! I really love writing on this blog. More than that, though, I love the blogging community... more specifically, the book blogging community. What an amazing find! I love the reviews, the memes (I'm still not sure how this word is pronouced) but, mostly I love the bloggers' "voice". I don't know about you, but when I read a blog... I really hear a distict voice for each author. That's not to say I'm hearing voices...lol!

I'm excited that I have a lot of new followers. Thank you for following me, by the way! I get a happy little jolt each time I open my dashboard and see that number rise.